Guide to Liverworts of Oregon: Marchantia latifolia S.F. Gray
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Synonym: Marchantia polymorpha, misapplied; Marchantia polymorpha supsp. ruderalis Bishl. & Boisseler (Paton 2000, Schumacker and Vana 2000).
Special Status: None
Recognition: This species has an intermediate morphology between M. polymorpha and M. alpestris. It has a poorly developed, discontinuous stripe of dark epidermis on its dorsal surface and its ventral scale appendages are weakly dentate. The teeth of the scale appendage are mostly composed of cells that do not project from the margin more than half their length.
Distribution: Terrestrial, often on mineral soil, often in disturbed, urban sites; where wet throughout the year. At all elevations, widespread and common throughout the state.
Comments: This species has been shown to be quite distinct by molecular studies, but it is not of hybrid origin as Schuster (1992b) suggested. Schuster treated this as Marchantia polymorpha L. s.s. but, sadly, the type of this this species has been found to be M. aquatica (Damsholt 2002) so what we want to call M. aquatica must be called M. polymorpha while what we have always called M. polymorpha, in the strict sense, must be called by the chronologically next valid name, M. latifolia. This kind of nomenclatural fussiness helps us understand why Schuster often deprecated and sometimes simply ignored the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.
Marchantia latifolia, archegoniophore, Eugene, Lane Co., Oregon. Photo: D.H. Wagner.
Marchantia latifolia, gemma cup, Yaquina Head, Lincoln Co., Oregon.DHW m2175
Marchantia latifolia, gemma cup, Yaquina Head, Lincoln Co., Oregon.DHW m2175
Marchantia latifolia - Jackson County, Oregon. DHW 9987.